A fantastic nose of cherry and spice hints at a big wine, the palate has layers of generous fruit interwoven with spice and oak hints, with just the right amount of acidity to keep the big, round, bold fruit fresh, delicious fresh long finish, lovely modern style wine.

Fratelli Ponte, Barolo, Piedmont, Italy 2011

‘To produce a Barolo is not easy,’ says Massimo Ponte; part of the third winemaking generation of the Ponte family. ‘We only choose the very best grapes from our 40 year-old, 20ha vineyard in La Morra and the work in the vineyard is extremely challenging.’

The Pontes began making wine just after the Second World War, with a small cellar and a similarly modest vineyard in Barbera; however in 1968 Guiseppe Ponte enlarged the vineyard holdings in addition to building a new cellar.

Producing around 300,000 bottles annually, brothers Massimo, Ivan and Renato have since assumed the mantle. Imbued with the family knowledge, they scrupulously oversee all aspects of the winemaking process and are continuing their grandparents’ work with pride: ‘When we sell our wines we also sell our culture and tradition, as well as the family name’, explains Massimo. ‘When I walk through the vineyard I often think about my grandfather and grandmother starting out 70 years ago with their small plot of land. They only produced a limited amount of wine and had to sell it immediately as they were extremely poor and simply needed to feed the family. To win an International Trophy at the Decanter Asia Wine Awards is a great honour and I think they would be very happy.’

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